Last month, our Nanaimo store co-owner, Christiane Kamerman, described how easy it is to use containers to create an instant and ever-changing garden design. With the nurseries bursting with tempting plants, May is the month to get going.

My own personal recipe for containers – and for hanging baskets too – comes from my favourite gardening magazine, Fine Gardening www.finegardening.com  To get a spectacular container or basket think: Thrillers, Spillers and Fillers.

A “thriller” is a centrepiece plant that draws your attention – something big, bold and beautiful. Some of my most successful containers star canna lilies as the thriller. Grasses are a great candidate for the thriller element because they add height and movement. In a shady spot, try fuchsias or a Dragon Wing begonia. If your container is large enough, a small shrub can be your “thriller”.

“Fillers” are billowy plants that surround and show off the “thriller”. There are so many great fillers, it’s hard to know where to begin. Try heucheras, coleus, calibrachoa (Million Bells), petunias, bacopa, marigolds, or anything else cheap and cheerful that matches your colour scheme.

“Spillers” are trailing plants that spill over the edges of the container and soften its edges. Variegated ivy, sweet potato vine, trailing lobelia, trailing verbena, and Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)

This recipe works best if the container is stuffed with plants – you want the container to look overflowing and voluptuous. So make sure you start with a good potting or container soil amended with a slow release fertilizer. Containers dry out quickly, so add Soil Moist polymer crystals to the mix to help retain moisture, and be prepared to water daily during the warm, dry days of summer.

In contrast to the thriller-filler-spiller approach, you can plant up a container with a single plant and still have impact. I plant hostas in pots and place them near my north-facing front door for a lush look. Small evergreens are great in pots and can grace an entry or be placed into a border or grouping of pots to add height and depth. Don’t be afraid to put perennials in pots: when I’m tempted at the nursery to buy a plant I really don’t have a home for yet, I’ll pop it into a nice container for the time being while I consider the options.

Elizabeth Cull, Franchise President

May 13th is Mother's Day and we have terrific gift ideas for gardening Mums:

Looking for a garden tool?  You can't go wrong with the Garden Bandit - a great Canadian-made hand tool for weeding and cultivating.  Or the Wilcox Trowel - the cadillac of garden trowels.  Made of stainless steel with a sharp cutting edge, this trowel is a staff favourite.

Gardeners can never have too many pair of garden gloves.  Dig This has gloves for all garden purposes - thin, supple Miracle Workers, tough Rose Warriors, waterproof Best Gardening Gloves, and more.

Gardener's soap, hand lotion and nailbrushes make a great gift and are always appreciated. 

As the days get warmer, our gardens will need watering.  Our  colourful Dramm water pistols, watering wands and sprinklers come with a lifetime warranty and make watering chores a dream.

Who can resist a solar garden accent light when it comes in the shape of a hummingbird, dragonfly or lily?  Or choose one of the new Soji solar lanterns.  Speaking of light in the garden, we have just received some lovely copper "flowers" with glass centres that glow after dark.

Our beautiful glass hummingbird feeders are sure to be a hit with Mum.  Each one is a little work of art.

Make a gorgeous hanging basket or container for your Mum.  We have all the materials you'll need.  Not sure how to do it?  Sign up for our hanging basket workshop on May 6th or 16th.  Better yet, bring her with you and do it together!

After a long day in the garden, it's nice to be able to sit and admire your handiwork.  Our glider chairs are made of polyvinyl wicker and aluminum, and so are maintenance-free.  Looking for something more rustic?  Then consider one of our made-on-Vancouver Island cedar Adirondack chairs.  You can paint it in Mum's favourite colour!

Stumped for ideas?  Visit one of our stores.  Our staff love to help you find the perfect gift.  Or give Mum a gift certificate and let her have the fun of choosing.

HINT:  If you're a Mum, leave a copy of this newsletter somewhere where your kids will see it.

Happy Mother's Day!

On Sunday, May 6th from 10 am to noon, Elizabeth and Virginia will be hosting hanging basket workshops at the Oak Bay and Broadmead stores. Come prepared to get your hands dirty! We’ll have baskets, soil mix and plants for sale so you can build a basket for sun or shade. No charge for the workshop.   Virginia will be holding a repeat of this workshop on Wednesday, May 16th from 10 am to noon.

Tips on Making your own Hanging Basket

1. You can use any hanging basket lined with moss, wool or coir fibre, but we like the moss ones best as they are easiest to plant through. A larger basket holds more plants and retains moisture better.

2. Put a saucer or small circle of plastic in the bottom of the basket to retain moisture. Cover the bottom of the basket with a lightweight potting soil and plant your first layer of plants.

3. After each layer, add more soil and a scattering of slow release fertilizer and polymer crystals to retain moisture.

4. Water thoroughly and let your basket harden off by putting it outdoors during the day, but protecting it at night.

5. Keep your basket healthy throughout the summer by watering and deadheading regularly.

The traditional Victoria hanging basket contains 25 plants including
- 1 Viscaria Oculata Choice mix
- 3 Lobelia “Fountain Blue”
- 3 Lobelia “Sapphire”
- 3 Lamium Galeobdolon “Variegatum”
- 3 Tagetes “Lulu”
- 3 Tagetes “Gnome”
- 3 Geranium “Shirley Clarete”
- 3 Petunia “Rose Madness”
- 3 Schizanthus “Hit Parade”

For a shady basket, consider alyssum, fibrous begonias, fuchsias, ivy geraniums, hedera, impatiens, lobelia, and trailing ivy.

For more information check out the City of Victoria’s hanging basket brochure at http://www.victoria.ca/cityhall/pdfs/departments_compar_hngngb.pdf or consult Carolyn Herriot’s excellent book, A Year on the Garden Path http://www.earthfuture.com/gardenpath.  Or come to our workshop!

May is the month to plant out those tomato seedlings you’ve grown from seed and have been nurturing in your greenhouse, under lights or on your windowsill. Of course, if you didn’t grow your own from seed, you can still purchase some from Dig This.

Don’t be impatient! Wait until the days and nights are warm. Up to now, our weather has been so unpredictable. If you plant out too early, your poor tomatoes will just sit there in the ground “shivering”. They need warmth to grow and won’t produce any less if you keep them inside another day or two waiting for the good weather.

One sure way to ensure warmer soil is to use Red Tomato Mulch. This red plastic film is laid over the soil and tests show that it yields much better tomatoes than unmulched soil or soil mulched with black plastic or organic mulches.

Once you – and the weather – are ready, preparing the ground before you transplant is extremely important. Dig in some 6-8-6 fertilizer before planting. When you plant, put the transplant in deep – roots will form all along the stem below the ground, resulting in a stronger, healthier plant. Hot caps – a mini plastic greenhouse – will protect the tender new plants in case of inclement weather.

Make sure you provide a support for your plants as they will grow quickly and putting in stakes or tomato cages after they grow is difficult. Determinate varieties do well with tomato cages, but the taller inderminate varieties need a tall stake or tomato spiral.

Tomatoes are heavy feeders. Fertilize weekly with liquid seaweed, which has a high phosphorus component good for fruit production. Soak deeply once per week – erratic watering causes fruit splitting and avoid a nasty condition called blossom end rot.

According to one of our best local sources – Salt Spring Seeds – there has been a raging debate over the years about pruning outdoor plants. It is always easier for a plant to grow leaves than to produce fruit! On the other hand, too few leaves risks the sun scalding the fruit. If you need to prune, do so on dry days to avoid potential fungus attacks. Use clean cutting tools, sterilize with peroxide ahead of time, to avoid contamination. On indeterminate plants, the ones that continue to set fruit and blossoms, the suckers that grow between branches can be removed to encourage straight plants.
For more Tomato Growing tips see http://www.saltspringseeds.com/scoop/tomatoes.htm 

Direct seed parsnips, carrots, beets and radishes. Keep seeding lettuce, mesclun and other greens for a continuous harvest.

Start cucumbers and squash indoors now for planting out in 3 to 4 weeks. Wait until the soil is warmer, near the end of the month before planting these out, and before planting beans or corn.

Watch out for aphids on tender new shoots. Get rid of them with a strong spray from the hose, or squish them with your fingers.

Remove spent flowers on rhododendrons and azaleas – it’s a huge chore on Elizabeth's large rhodos but the work pays off in better blooms next year.

Keep ahead of the weeds by covering your beds with 2 inches of mulch. Christiane swears by sea soil. Besides being a great source of nutrients, Christiane says the dark black colour makes the fresh green leaves sparkle in the sun.

Q:  Why can't I use soil from my garden in my containers? 

A.  Garden soil will produce beautiful healthy plants in the ground, but it is a disaster in containers.  The texture of garden soil is too fine to ensure adequate aeration in containers.  Use a soilless potting mixes formulated for containers.  These mixes have larger particles which form pores or spaces so your plant's roots can breathe.  Soilless mixes are also much lighter making it easier to move your containers around.

To our way of thinking, garden furniture is something you shouldn't have to fuss over.  We'd rather be lounging on our furniture than scraping and painting it!

Dig This sells several lines of quality garden furniture.  Here are some tips to keep it looking like new.

PVC “Rattan” or “Wicker”  - This furniture is virually maintenance free. Clean with water – yes, you can hose it down – or with mild soap and water.

Teak & Yellow Balau - The maintenance-free approach is to let it weather naturally to a silvery-grey. However, you can oil teak and yellow balau to keep the rich, honey finish. We recommend marine-grade teak oil for teak furniture, and exterior tung oil or exterior tung & teak oil for the yellow balau. You will have to re-apply the oil from time to time.

Before you oil your furniture, make sure it is completely dry. Put it in a garage or other dry place for at least 48 hours to remove all moisture. Moisture trapped under the oil can lead to mildew problems

Sand the furniture lightly and wipe clean off all dust before applying the oil. Apply the oil according to the directions. Generally you should apply a light coating of oil with a clean, lint free rag or paint brush. One coat is sufficient.

Cedar furniture can be stained with a good quality exterior stain, or painted.

Metal furniture - Most metal will eventually rust outdoors. Exceptions are aluminium and brass fittings on wood furniture.

If you prefer to keep your metal furniture and other garden structures looking new, simply coat them with a clear metal protector (such as Tremclad) which is available at most hardware stores.

Cushions & Umbrella Covers - All our outdoor cushions and umbrella covers are made with outdoor grade fabric and outdoor grade foam. They are water repellent, but not water proof.

Outdoor fabric should be cleaned regularly to stop excessive dirt build up. Brush off loose dirt, mop up spills when they occur, and rinse surfaces with lukewarm water. Yes, you can use a hose! Let the fabric air dry. In most environments, if you do this monthly hosing, a thorough cleaning will only be needed every 2-3 years.  Do not use detergents, hot water, or dry in a dryer.

Over time, with outdoor use and regular cleaning, the water repellent finish may be reduced. It can be replaced by applying a water repellent product, such as 303 High Tech Fabric Guard, available at local awning and marine shops.

The sound of water is soothing and can mask traffic and other noises in your home or in your garden. You don’t need a large pond or water feature – you can create a charming water feature in a container. Dig This has everything you need, including friendly knowledgeable staff eager to help you build the perfect water feature.  

One, find something to hold water. A ceramic or pottery water bowl is perfect, but you can use anything that is watertight – a lined wooden barrel, a galvanized bucket, or a large plastic planter without drainage holes. If you suspect your pottery bowl may leak, first seal it with a pottery sealer.

Two, to move the water you’ll need a pump. Pumps come in different sizes, so be sure to purchase one that is large enough for your needs. Dig This staff can help you find the right pump for your bowl.

Three, add a “spitter”. Here’s where the fun starts. There are so many options from which to choose. Bamboo spitters suit an oriental look and come in different profiles and sizes. Bronze critters such as fish, frogs, and crabs are whimsical. Hand-blown glass balls add a splash of colour.

Beyond these three simple ingredients, the rest is up to you and your imagination. Add rocks, glass pebbles, water plants, and other objects to make your water feature unique. Then add water, plug it in, and sit back and enjoy!

To conserve our precious water resources, watering restrictions are in effect from May 1st to September 30th.  Houses with even addresses can water their lawns with sprinklers only on Wednesdays & Saturdays, 4 am to 10 am and 7 pm to 10 pm. Houses with odd addresses: Thursdays & Sundays, 4 am to 10 am and 7 pm to 10 pm.

For more information, go to http://www.crd.bc.ca/water/conservation/outdoorwateruse/bylaw.htm

If there's a garden tour happening for a good cause this spring, then Dig This will be selling the tickets!

Victoria Conservatory of Music Annual Garden Tour. May 12th & 13th.Tickets $25 at all Dig This stores.

The Teeny Tiny Garden Tour for Victoria Hospice June 24th. Tickets $20 at all Dig This Victoria locations.
Ladysmith Rotary Garden Tour May 27th. Tickets $10 at Dig This Nanaimo. Continental breakfast, guest speakers and unique gifts and plants for sale.

Nanaimo SPCA Garden Tour May 6th. Tickets $10 at Dig This Nanaimo.

Blossoms for Bosoms May 26th (Nanaimo). All proceeds go to the Weekend to end Breast Cancer. Tickets $15 for the tour or $25 for the tour and Salmon BBQ at Dig This Nanaimo.

The 13th Annual Cowichan Valley Garden Tour Is happening on Sunday June 3rd from 10 am to 5 pm. A self guided tour of six outstanding yet diverse private gardens in the Cowichan Valley and the opportunity to view local artist's work, commune with Master Gardeners, enjoy refreshments and a participate in a wonderful raffle.
Tickets $15.00. For more information call 250 748-8281 or go to www.cowichanfamilylife.org

The Garden Path is having an Open Garden and Plant Sale May 14th through Monday May 21st, Daily 10 am to 5.30 pm. 395Conway Road, West Saanich (1 block past Camosun College Campus on Interurban).

Thanks for reading our newsletter.  We love to hear from you so keep those emails coming.  Next month, watch for ideas and special deals for Father's Day.

The Dig This Team